Question for anyone, whether you live in the area or not. A plane takes off from Portland, flies north to SEATAC (which is south of Seattle), what major cities would you see if you looked down after you left Portland, flew for 30 minutes, but before you landed at SEATAC? Cleveland, New York, Dallas??
And another one. If you know you are flying from Portland to SEATAC, what military bases would be on that route? Fort Bragg, Fort Benning, Andrews Air Force Base??
When you answer these questions, how can you possibly think that Cooper was intimate with the area? He could have been, but he also could have just looked at a map. As Nicky said in an earlier post, I think: He was trying to act like he knew more than everyone else. Larry Carr even called him a "know it all"
Knowing the area, being Canadian, etc. are all parts of the story that have made it into people's minds. What if none of this is accurate?